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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26278204">Through the Fire and Flames</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/benicemurphy/pseuds/benicemurphy'>benicemurphy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AUgust prompt fills [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Happy Ending, Hospitals, Injury, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, descriptions of house fire, not to Shiro though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:28:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26278204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/benicemurphy/pseuds/benicemurphy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Firefighters AU for Ursae</p>
<p>Shiro’s first day at the station goes like this:</p>
<p>He’s introduced to the chief, then to most of his fellow firefighters on shift, then to the chief’s best friend and the chief’s best friend’s wife, both also firefighters. They apparently have a son who is also a firefighter, but he’s somehow not on shift today— Shiro is informed, however, that he is very single and very available.</p>
<p>He’s at the station for less than two hours before the alarm sounds and everyone is piling onto the trucks, on the way to take down a nasty house fire that’s starting to spread to the surrounding homes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AUgust prompt fills [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>130</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Through the Fire and Flames</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Shiro’s first day at the station goes like this:</p>
<p class="p1">He’s introduced to the chief, then to most of his fellow firefighters on shift, then to the chief’s best friend and the chief’s best friend’s wife, both also firefighters. They apparently have a son who is <em>also</em> a firefighter, but he’s somehow not on shift today— Shiro is informed, however, that he is very single and very available.</p>
<p class="p1">He’s at the station for less than two hours before the alarm sounds and everyone is piling onto the trucks, on the way to take down a nasty house fire that’s starting to spread to the surrounding homes.</p>
<p class="p1">By the time they arrive, the first house that caught fire is gutted. It’s the fastest spreading fire Shiro has ever seen, already spread to three adjacent houses even though they made it in under four minutes after the call came in. He wonders how the hell it’s possible that nobody saw it sooner, nobody called it in faster.</p>
<p class="p1">They have three trucks, thankfully, so they’re able to spray down the surrounding homes and keep the fire contained. They’re told that the first house was completely vacant; the owners were at work when it went up, no kids, no pets. The house to the left is put out quickly, having only ignited on a second-floor patio that stands closer to the neighboring house than the rest of the property, and though the patio is destroyed and there’s smoke damage on the walls, it can be repaired.</p>
<p class="p1">The house to the right is nearly as bad as the first. The top floor is collapsing down. The family is outside at a safe distance, but a little boy is crying for his dog, who hid when the smoke alarms started blaring and is still inside the house. Most of the crew are focused on putting out the flames, and the rest are putting out the house next door, which went up just before they were called and is still salvageable if they act quickly.</p>
<p class="p1">It’s Shiro’s first day, and he’s not in a rhythm with the rest of the crew yet — doesn’t even remember which names to put to which faces, for most of them — but he can follow orders with the best of them.</p>
<p class="p1">So when the chief’s best friend pulls him off of the hose and tells him he’s going in to get the boy’s dog, he gathers all of the courage he has and follows the man inside.</p>
<p class="p1">The heat is oppressive and suffocating. There’s smoke everywhere. It’s raining timber. The smoke detectors have stopped blaring, but only because they’ve melted down and no longer work. Still, they have to shout to be heard over the roaring flames and creaking infrastructure.</p>
<p class="p1">“Stick together, watch my back, and GET OUT if you’re in danger!” the man tells him. “Don’t be a hero!”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro already knows that this is an order he won’t be able to follow, if push comes to shove. He didn’t become a firefighter for the glory; he did it to help people. He’s not going to leave another man behind if he can help it.</p>
<p class="p1">“Yes sir!” he says, because there’s no time for the rest of it.</p>
<p class="p1">The dog’s name is Milo. They’re told he’s a very skittish but very obedient golden retriever.</p>
<p class="p1">“Milo!”</p>
<p class="p1">Something wooden groans above or beside them.</p>
<p class="p1">“Milo!”</p>
<p class="p1">There’s a bark from somewhere ahead and to the right, Shiro thinks, and then a whimper as another chunk of ceiling comes down, and Shiro prays to any god who will listen that the dog is okay.</p>
<p class="p1">“MILO!” he calls. “Hey! This way!” He beckons his partner in the direction he heard the noises.</p>
<p class="p1">“There’s no exit this way!” the man says.</p>
<p class="p1">“There’s a window!” Shiro says. If they can save this dog, he’s going to do it. His partner nods and follows. They call the dog’s name, pause, assess their surroundings, and repeat.</p>
<p class="p1">Finally, there’s another frightened bark right behind a door that’s half-splintered. Shiro motions to his partner to stand back, and the man takes his position as Shiro kicks in what’s left of the door. He waits before rushing in, just to make sure the door wasn’t holding up the frame, and when he’s sure he can cross the threshold, enters what he realizes is a bathroom where the dog must have run when he got scared of the loud noises. Shiro thanks his lucky stars that he picked the downstairs bathroom instead of the upstairs one.</p>
<p class="p1">“We got him!” he calls back. He’s able to get Milo by the collar and pull him from beneath the sink, and then he hefts the big dog up in both arms so he can carry Milo out without him escaping.</p>
<p class="p1">They start to make their way back through the house the way they came, but before they can get far, a major support beam comes crashing down, and with it, large chunks of the floor above.</p>
<p class="p1">There’s an anguished scream, and too late, Shiro sees his partner trapped beneath the beam.</p>
<p class="p1">One small mercy is that the beam itself isn’t on fire, so he’s not burning. But he’s trapped, and it’s obvious that he can’t lift the beam off of himself, though he’s trying, he’s <em>trying</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">“Get out of here!” he commands. Shiro hesitates. Milo is crying in his arms. If he puts Milo down to help, he’ll almost certainly run and hide again, and they won’t be able to find him. But if he leaves… “GO!” the man bellows.</p>
<p class="p1">“I’m coming back for you!” Shiro screams as he turns and runs. He doesn’t stop to hear his partner’s protests.</p>
<p class="p1">There’s a window to the outside just past the bathroom Milo was hiding in; Shiro made note of it on the way in. It’s just through another door.</p>
<p class="p1">He can’t risk waiting, especially with a large, squirmy and terrified dog in his arms, so he kicks the door as hard as he can until it pops open, bringing part of the door jamb with it. From there all he has to do is break the window. He kicks a chair out of his way. He has to put Milo down now, but he can’t let him go. He grabs him by the collar with one hand and uses all of the strength he has to break the glass with the other. Once he clears enough glass to get Milo safely through, he hefts the dog up and pushes him through the window. He hopes the dog is smart enough to run toward his family, but if not, a lost dog is better than a dead one.</p>
<p class="p1">The smoke is getting thicker, and looking back the way he came, his vision is almost completely obstructed by it. But he can’t leave the man there. He’d just met his wife. He knows he has a son. He can’t leave a man behind while his wife is hosing down the house outside.</p>
<p class="p1">He runs. It’s not safe practice. He’s not paying close enough attention to what he’s doing, but Shiro has good instincts, and he has to trust himself now if they’re both going to get out.</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro makes it back to the room with the collapsed beam. His partner is still trapped, and he’s coughing badly. <em>Fuck</em>. If they make it out of here without burning alive, they’ll still be at massive risk for smoke inhalation, especially his partner.</p>
<p class="p1">The bottom of the beam has ignited, and flames are slowly licking their way toward the end where his partner is trapped. There’s no time left to think about anything. He runs to the far side, bends into a squat, and lifts with his entire body.</p>
<p class="p1">“COME ON!” he screams. “COME ON!” He can’t hold up the beam and pull his partner out at the same time. “CRAWL! I CAN’T PULL YOU OUT!”</p>
<p class="p1">He watches in hot, tense agony while his partner pulls himself out from beneath the beam with his arms. His legs are immobile.</p>
<p class="p1">When he’s free enough that Shiro can drop the beam, Shiro rushes to his side. The man is hacking and coughing and gasping for air. “CAN YOU WALK?”</p>
<p class="p1">The man shakes his head.</p>
<p class="p1">Shit.</p>
<p class="p1">Shit.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Shit.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">“I’M GONNA GET YOU OUT OF HERE.”</p>
<p class="p1">He rolls the man onto his back, praying it’s not a crush injury or a punctured lung or anything he might make worse by doing this, then slips one arm beneath his shoulders and the other beneath his knees and hoists him up.</p>
<p class="p1">By some miracle, the way back toward the window is still clear enough to make it through. He moves swiftly but carefully, not willing to knock his partner against anything that could injure him further. They make it to the window, and there’s a little bit of air.</p>
<p class="p1">“I have to get you out first,” Shiro says. It’s easier to hear here. He doesn’t have to scream. “I’ll be right behind you.”</p>
<p class="p1">He silently apologizes for the pain he’s going to cause by dropping him outside the window, but there are no other options. He lowers his partner down as far as he can, but he still falls about two feet to the ground with a pained grunt. Shiro lifts himself through the window, and they’re free. They just have to get away.</p>
<p class="p1">They’ve been in the house too long; Shiro’s vision is spotting. His breathing is labored. His strength is fading, but he’s so close. They’re both <em>so close</em>. He forces himself to pick his partner back up and carry him around the perimeter of the neighboring house — now extinguished — to get them out of immediate danger.</p>
<p class="p1">They make it around to the street and most of the way to the ambulance before Shiro’s knees give out. He falls to the ground, and the man he’s holding tumbles out of his arms and onto the asphalt, and the last thing he sees is the ground coming up to meet him.</p>
<p class="p2">____________________</p>
<p class="p1">He wakes to the sound of beeps.</p>
<p class="p1">He doesn’t immediately know where he is. He can’t smell anything except stale smoke. His eyes feel crusty, and he has to basically peel them open.</p>
<p class="p1">Everything around him is white, probably. Now that his eyes are open, they’re watering, so he can’t be totally sure. The beeping persists, but other than that, it’s mostly quiet. He tries to move his legs and discovers they’re covered with a sheet. He must be in a hospital.</p>
<p class="p1">If he’s in a hospital, it means he’s alive. That’s all he knows. He brings up a hand to wipe the moisture and crust from his eyes. When they’re clear, he blinks away the blurriness and looks around. There’s no one there to ask about anything.</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro fumbles around for the call button— there must be one, right? He pats the sides of his bed with both hands until he finds the remote. He mashes the call button three or four times, just to be safe.</p>
<p class="p1">Within a couple of minutes, a nurse swoops into the room with friendly chatter and a bunch of instruments to test his vitals. He sits back and lets her do what she needs to do.</p>
<p class="p1">“Welcome back,” she tells him when she’s finished. “I’m going to grab the doctor and let her know you’re awake. Be right back.”</p>
<p class="p1">He waits, and waits, and when he’s about to drift back to sleep, the door bangs open, and in walks a white coat with a stethoscope.</p>
<p class="p1">His vitals are fine, the doctor says. They’re going to keep him overnight, just in case, she says, because he inhaled a lot of smoke, and he’s not in the clear just yet.</p>
<p class="p1">“My… friend?” Shiro wheezes. It hurts to talk.</p>
<p class="p1">“The man you pulled out of the fire is here,” the doctor says. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but we’ll let you know when he does.”</p>
<p class="p1"><em>He’s okay</em>. That’s what matters. He’s not awake yet, but he’s not dead.</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro takes a shallow, gasping breath. “Dog?”</p>
<p class="p1">The doctor cocks her head like she’s not sure what he’s asking. He reaches to check his fever but he shakes his head. “Fine,” he manages.</p>
<p class="p1">“Alright,” she says. “I’ll have the nurses check in on you frequently. Call if you feel any new discomfort, or if anything hurts or feels worse than it does now.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro nods again, and then the doctor is gone.</p>
<p class="p1">He’s exhausted, so he sleeps. Every couple of hours, he wakes to someone poking at him, answers questions if he can, and sleeps again.</p>
<p class="p1">It’s some time the next day, he thinks — probably, because it’s light outside, and he’s sure it was darker out one of the times he was awake previously — when a nurse comes into his room and tells him there’s someone here to see him.</p>
<p class="p1">He’s not sure who he expects. There’s nobody in this town — on this side of the country — who could be here to see him.</p>
<p class="p1">The man who walks through the door is unfamiliar, but… <em>wow</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">“Hi,” the man says, and his voice nearly sends a chill down Shiro’s spine.</p>
<p class="p1">His dark hair frames his face in wild wisps, and his eyes are a captivating blue, so dark they’re almost purple. He looks like something out of Shiro’s wildest fantasies.</p>
<p class="p1">He’s the most beautiful man Shiro has ever seen.</p>
<p class="p1">“Hi,” he says. He must look completely dumbstruck, gaping at this beautiful boy with his mouth hanging open. He remembers himself and snaps his mouth shut. “I, um. Have we met?”</p>
<p class="p1">“Not yet,” his visitor says, stepping further into the room. “I work at the station, but I wasn’t on shift when you got there.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro nods. It’s sweet of his coworker to come visit him, and he’s pleased to learn that he’ll get to see the man regularly, if they’re going to be working together.</p>
<p class="p1">“I’m Keith,” he says. The name sounds vaguely familiar, but he can’t place it. There were too many faces, too many names, and too much smoke in his lungs for him to even begin to remember who he met and whose names he should remember. “I just came by to thank you.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro tilts his head in question. <em>Ah</em>, of course— Shiro had picked up on the fact that the man he pulled out of the fire is widely beloved.</p>
<p class="p1">“It was nothing,” he says, trying to deflect. He’s never been sure how to accept praise. “I just did what anyone else would have done.”</p>
<p class="p1">“No,” Keith says. “You were already out. You didn’t need to go back in. You could have died. But you went in anyway, and that’s—” he cuts himself off as his voice cracks around his words. He clears his throat and forges on. “What you did was <em>everything</em>. Especially to me.”</p>
<p class="p1">There’s a fierceness in his eyes that grips Shiro by the heart. Keith is magnetic.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith smiles an amused, wobbly thing and comes to sit in the chair beside Shiro’s bed. “Shiro— can I call you that?” Shiro nods. “Okay. Shiro. That man whose life you saved is my dad. Without you…”</p>
<p class="p1">Instinct commands Shiro to reach out for Keith’s hand. Keith’s eyes are glassy when they shoot up to meet his, surprised by the sudden contact. Shiro feels his face heat and moves to pull his hand back, but Keith stops him, gripping his hand decisively.</p>
<p class="p1">Butterflies erupt in his stomach. He doubts it means anything, but wow, it feels like a privilege to hold Keith’s hand.</p>
<p class="p1">He’s not sure what to say in the face of such raw gratitude. His head is still a little foggy, which definitely doesn’t help.</p>
<p class="p1">“How is he?” Shiro asks, because nobody has given him any info about the other man yet.</p>
<p class="p1">“He’s okay,” Keith says. His tone is hesitant. “He’s alive, thanks to you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you for what you did for our family.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Don’t mention it,” Shiro says, half serious.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith smiles. “Well, I owe you everything. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”</p>
<p class="p1">It would be crazy inappropriate to ask Keith on a date, so he doesn’t.</p>
<p class="p1">“Has he woken up yet?”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith nods. “He’s been awake a couple of times, but he sleeps a lot.” He swallows and averts his eyes. There’s something he’s not telling Shiro. Shiro’s heart sinks into his stomach.</p>
<p class="p1">“He was trapped,” he says, hoping Keith will pick up the lead. He doesn’t. “Can he— Are his— How are his injuries?”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith sighs deeply. “There’s a chance he won’t be able to walk,” he says. He sounds weary. Shiro sees for the first time how exhausted Keith looks. He’d been too captivated with Keith’s beauty to notice before, but now he can see the deep bags under Keith’s eyes and the tired slump of his shoulders.</p>
<p class="p1">“Fuck,” Shiro curses. “God, I’m— Keith, I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p class="p1">“<em>Don’t</em> apologize,” Keith commands. “Mom and I will take care of him. He’s <em>alive</em>, Shiro. He lived! Because of you! Don’t ever apologize for giving me my dad back. For giving my mom her husband back.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro closes his eyes and leans back against his pillow. He’s so <em>tired</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">“I should let you rest,” Keith says, and as he gets up leave, Shiro wishes he had the energy to ask him to stay. “I just wanted to thank you myself. You did an amazing thing, Shiro. The entire department is calling you a hero.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro lets out a weary chuckle. “Thanks for coming,” he murmurs. He’s asleep again before he hears Keith shut the door.</p>
<p class="p2">____________________</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro’s second day at the station goes like this:</p>
<p class="p1">He walks in for his second shift almost a week after his first and is greeted by the booming shouts of a firehouse full of men and women whose names he can no longer remember.</p>
<p class="p1">There’s a huge cake and enough chicken wings to feed, well, the whole fire department. There are balloons, and streamers, and—</p>
<p class="p1">“Milo!”</p>
<p class="p1">The dog barks and wags his huge, bushy tail. He looks happy and safe and totally uninjured, and Shiro is <em>so</em> thrilled that he found his way to his family. He’s been worried about it since he got out of the hospital.</p>
<p class="p1">Everyone around him bursts into laughter while Shiro shows his doggy friend some love.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’re such a good boy, Milo! Look at you! You’re so sweet! What a good boy!”</p>
<p class="p1">A little boy walks up to him, holding hands with his mother, and says, “Excuse me.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro looks up at the boy and recognizes him from when he was sobbing on the street for his dog.</p>
<p class="p1">“Thank you for saving my dog, Mr. Shiro.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro wants to cry. “It was my pleasure,” he tells the boy truthfully. “Nobody should have to be without their dog.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah,” says the child, and then he wraps himself around Milo and buries his face in Milo’s fur. Milo seems pleased as can be and licks whatever he can reach of his best human friend.</p>
<p class="p1">When Shiro stands, the boy’s mother is waiting to greet him, as well.</p>
<p class="p1">“You don’t know what that dog means to my son,” she says. “We lost a lot in that fire, but I thank God every day we still have each other. Milo is part of our family. Thank you for saving him.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Gosh, ma’am,” Shiro says. “It was no trouble, really.”</p>
<p class="p1">His face must be ten shades of red. The praise and gratitude is completely overwhelming. In his last city, they had him benched for so long, he nearly forgot what it feels like to even be near the flames. All of this — the excitement, the fear, the praise, the hero treatment — this wasn’t even on his radar when he made the decision to move across the country and start over.</p>
<p class="p1">Everyone is laughing again, hooting and hollering and clapping him on the back and congratulating him for a job well done.</p>
<p class="p1">“Alright, alright,” a familiar voice says. The noise ebbs, though everyone maintains their jovial attitudes. “Give the poor boy some space. He looks like steam’s ‘bout to come outta his ears.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro finds the source of the voice and breaks into a humongous grin. “Welcome back, sir.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Well, I don’t know about back,” Keith’s father says, “but it sure feels good to be on my feet. Or wheels, I guess.”</p>
<p class="p1">He’s in a wheelchair, yes, but he looks just as happy and upbeat as any other person in the room. Next to him is his wife — Krolia, he now remembers — and Shiro thinks he should have realized who Keith was the second he walked into Shiro’s hospital room, because he is the spitting image of his mother. She smiles at Shiro, a quiet, calm happiness radiating from her.</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro looks around, hoping it’s not obvious who he’s looking for, but when he makes eye contact with Keith leaning against a wall behind his parents, he thinks he might be fairly obvious, because the ridiculously tall guy next to Keith ribs him hard and says something Shiro can’t hear over the commotion of the room. Keith laughs and pushes the other guy away, but his cheeks are delightfully pink when he meets Shiro’s eyes again.</p>
<p class="p1">They don’t get a chance to talk immediately, as Shiro is passed around from person to person and requested to tell the story of the fire over and over again. Eventually, Shiro ends up in front of a group of young people that he hasn’t met yet. They’re all laughing about something, which is nice; everyone here seems to be so close. Shiro feels, again, like he definitely made the right decision in coming here.</p>
<p class="p1">One of them — Rizavi, he thinks her name is — nudges him in the arm with her elbow. “You’re a real big shot now, huh?” She throws him a wink and an extremely obvious once-over that makes him blush up to his hairline. The others burst into laughter again.</p>
<p class="p1">“Down, girl,” says a tall, broad-shouldered man — Kinkade? “I’m pretty sure he wasn’t eyeballing <em>you</em> across the room.”</p>
<p class="p1">Once again, Shiro’s blush makes an appearance, much to the amusement of his coworkers.</p>
<p class="p1">“If it helps, Keith was totally looking at you, too,” another guy says. He’s lanky, with floppy hair and a self-assured smirk; the name James Griffin suits him, Shiro thinks. He gestures behind Shiro’s back.</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro turns, and there’s Keith, casually breathtaking in his station-issue t-shirt stretched across the lean muscles of his chest and arms. He’s talking with the same absurdly tall guy from earlier, but his eyes are fixed on Shiro. When Shiro catches his eye, Keith smiles and offers him a small wave. Shiro waves back, smitten.</p>
<p class="p1">“Damn,” Nadia sighs. “And here I thought at least <em>one</em> hot guy on this force might be up for grabs.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Not if Keith has already staked his claim,” Griffin says.</p>
<p class="p1">The man Keith is talking to nudges Keith again, prodding him to start moving. Keith rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but he looks fond and happy, so whatever the guy wants him to do must not be too much of a hardship.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith stalks straight toward Shiro— he’s like a lynx, beautiful and graceful and so very dangerous. Shiro is helpless to look away.</p>
<p class="p1">“You guys talking about me?” he asks in that honey whiskey voice that Shiro hasn’t stopped imaging since they met in his hospital room. He’s smirking wickedly like he already knows the answer.</p>
<p class="p1">“Rizavi was just asking Shiro out,” Kinkade says, completely deadpan. “I think he was about to say yes.”</p>
<p class="p1">“No!” Shiro hastens to say. Rizavi’s mouth drops open.</p>
<p class="p1">“I mean, I already knew, but <em>ouch</em>.”</p>
<p class="p1">“No, I didn’t mean— you’re a very nice girl, I’m sure—”</p>
<p class="p1">“Oh, I’m really not,” she says with a wink.</p>
<p class="p1">His ears are so hot, oh god. “I just meant, um, that you’re not exactly my type…”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith sidles up to him, not quite touching him, but <em>oh fuck</em> Shiro can feel his body heat against him and he wants to touch him, he wants to touch him <em>so badly</em>—</p>
<p class="p1">“What’s your type, then?”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro swallows.</p>
<p class="p1">“Damn, Keith,” Rizavi says. “The poor guy is gonna explode if you keep teasing him.”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith winks at him, and Shiro nearly faints. Then, he leans right up to Shiro’s ear and whispers quietly enough that only Shiro can hear, “Meet me in the dorm in half an hour.” He turns and glides back to his friend, leaving Shiro with a stuttering heart and the feeling of Keith’s breath on his ear.</p>
<p class="p1">Griffin nudges him in the ribs with one of his pointy elbows. “Doing okay there, buddy?”</p>
<p class="p1">“Uh-huh,” he squeaks.</p>
<p class="p1">Everyone breaks into more good-natured laughter, and while normally he’d be embarrassed beyond belief at being such an obvious butt of the joke, he’s too distracted trying not to get his hopes up about what Keith wants to do with him in the firehouse dormitory.</p>
<p class="p1">At some point, someone pushes some cake into his hands. It’s perfectly tasty grocery store bakery cake, and Shiro isn’t picky. He thanks everyone so many times, the words start to sound weird when he says them. It’s a good day. He already feels more welcome here than he ever did at his old station.</p>
<p class="p1">They can’t party all day, though, so the crowd disbands after everyone gets their fill of cake, and when everyone goes back to work, Shiro slinks off to the dorm.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith is there lounging on one of the bunks bouncing a rubber ball against the wall. When he sees Shiro, he effortlessly catches the ball and stands to greet him.</p>
<p class="p1">“Took you long enough.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Sorry,” Shiro says. He feels shaky and nervous like he’s fifteen and going on his first date again.</p>
<p class="p1">Here, just the two of them, Keith looks softer than he did teasing Shiro in front of the other firefighters. He doesn’t look nervous, though.</p>
<p class="p1">“Sorry for teasing you earlier,” Keith says, though he’s smiling softly. “You’re just so easy.”</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Easy for you</em>, Shiro thinks. “No problem.”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith bows his head and glances up at Shiro through his thick eyelashes. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Not at all,” Shiro says, maybe too quickly judging by Keith’s gentle laughter.</p>
<p class="p1">“God, you’re cute.”</p>
<p class="p1">“You’re <em>beautiful</em>,” Shiro blurts.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith seems to pull up short at the compliment. He gazes up at Shiro with those unearthly eyes of his and blinks.</p>
<p class="p1">“Keith,” Shiro says, feeling bold enough to take a step toward him. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that before?”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith slowly shakes his head. “Not beautiful.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Well, you’re absolutely stunning, Keith. I can’t keep my eyes off of you.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Keep saying stuff like that,” Keith says. He lifts one hand to Shiro’s chest and lays it gingerly on his pec.</p>
<p class="p1">Alright, complimenting a gorgeous man? Shiro can do that.</p>
<p class="p1">“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met,” he says. “When you came into my room, I thought you were a hallucination.”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith’s smile is wide and pleased. A pink blush blooms across the bridge of his nose and over his cheekbones. “You’re making that up.”</p>
<p class="p1">“I wish I was,” Shiro laughs. “But to be fair, I was exhausted.”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith steps up closer to him, and instinctively, Shiro rests a hand against the small of Keith’s back to keep him close.</p>
<p class="p1">“How are you feeling now?” Keith asks. His eyes should be illegal.</p>
<p class="p1">“Good,” Shiro says.</p>
<p class="p1">“Just good?” The hand on Shiro’s chest slides up to toy with the hair on the back of his neck. Keith’s other hand rests on Shiro’s waist. Shiro swallows his nerves and nods. “Anything I can do to make it better than just good?”</p>
<p class="p1">It’s magnetism. Shiro is helpless, drawn to Keith like a moth to a flame, so he can’t be blamed when he leans in. He stops himself before their lips meet.</p>
<p class="p1">“I can’t ask anything of you, Keith,” he says. “You don’t owe me anything.”</p>
<p class="p1">“I do,” Keith says, “but even if I didn’t, I’d want to kiss you anyway.”</p>
<p class="p1">And then he’s leaning up and pressing his pretty lips to Shiro’s, and Shiro is wrapping his arms around this breathtaking man and kissing him like he needs it to breathe.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith backs them up to the bunk and lets himself settle onto it, pulling Shiro with him. Shiro has to brace his arms on the bed to hold himself up above Keith, but they don’t break their kiss. Keith pulls himself unto the bed so that they’re lying comfortably horizontal. His body is hard beneath Shiro. It’s impossible not to touch him now that Shiro knows his touch is wanted.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’re amazing,” Shiro breathes against Keith’s lips. “Captivating.” He kisses him again. “Enticing.”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith hums appreciatively against his lips. “Now you’re just buttering me up.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro fits his hand against Keith’s stomach, just below where the hem of his shirt is riding up. He rubs his thumb across the sensitive skin above Keith’s hip bone, and Keith’s hips jerk beneath him. Feeling him so reactive to Shiro’s touch is a head rush.</p>
<p class="p1">“No,” he argues as he moves to kiss Keith’s jaw and throat. “It’s true. Ask anyone.”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith laughs. “Most people wouldn’t agree.”</p>
<p class="p1">“They’re stupid,” Shiro says. Keith laughs louder. Shiro loves the feeling of it against his body. He wraps his other hand around Keith’s back again and pulls him as close as he can, letting himself settle more heavily over Keith so that they’re pressed completely together.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith wraps one of his legs around one of Shiro’s. “You wanna hear something weird?”</p>
<p class="p1">“Of course,” Shiro says.</p>
<p class="p1">“My parents sent me a picture of you when you showed up to work your first day. I think they’re kinda hoping something will happen between us.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro is in the middle of sucking a good bruise into Keith’s neck and has to pull back so he doesn’t leave bite marks when he registers what Keith said. “<em>What</em>?”</p>
<p class="p1">“You’re <em>really</em> hot, Shiro,” Keith says around a laugh. “And apparently you’re a total boy scout, too.”</p>
<p class="p1">“I’m not a boy scout,” Shiro argues. He goes back to laying kisses along Keith’s collarbone. The hand on Keith’s stomach strokes over his taut abs. Keith lets out a breathy moan that exacerbates the growing problem in Shiro’s pants.</p>
<p class="p1">“You literally <em>just</em> saved a dog and a paraplegic man from a house fire.”</p>
<p class="p1">“It’s my <em>job</em>.”</p>
<p class="p1">“It was your job for like 30 seconds.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro pulls back to glare at Keith, though the effect is probably lessened due to the full-body flush and horny eyes he’s sure are overpowering his disapproval.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith grins. “Relax. Turns out I’m <em>really</em> into the whole action-hero thing.” He runs both of his hands up Shiro’s arms and squeezes his biceps. “And you’re built like one, too. <em>Damn</em>.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro ducks his head to hide his ridiculously pleased smile. God, it should not be so easy to stroke his ego. He’s almost ashamed to admit the effect it has on him.</p>
<p class="p1">“Like that, huh?” Keith says, smirking. He rolls his hips up to meet Shiro’s, making it painfully obvious how hard he is. <em>At work</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’re gonna get me fired my second day on the job.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Nuh uh,” Keith says. “I know the boss.”</p>
<p class="p1">He’s so <em>god damned cute</em>, with all of his sharp angles and his spitfire personality. Shiro could fall for this man so fast, and it’s kind of terrifying. He can’t stop himself. He <em>has</em> to kiss him.</p>
<p class="p1">Keith indulges him for a few long moments, meeting his kisses with long, languid drags of his tongue against Shiro’s and deft fingers up and down Shiro’s spine.</p>
<p class="p1">“Besides,” he says when the kiss breaks again, “I’m so not gonna fuck you in the firehouse.”</p>
<p class="p1">Logically, Shiro knows this. He knows anyone could walk in at any time, and the only reason they aren’t is because for some reason, people here seem to be inordinately involved in Keith’s personal life. He also knows that they have to be ready to dress and mobilize in sparse minutes, and even what they’re doing now isn’t exactly the most practical thing.</p>
<p class="p1">“Right,” he says as he pants to catch his breath. “Of course not. I wasn’t expecting—”</p>
<p class="p1">“But I’ll fuck you on our second date, maybe. If you can get a second date with me.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro’s eyes blow wide. “Is this a date?”</p>
<p class="p1">Keith laughs again. He’s so unbelievably beautiful when he laughs like this. “No. But you can take me out on one, if you want.”</p>
<p class="p1">Shiro nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! Yes. Yes, I want that. How about tonight? Wait, no, we’ll be here tonight. Okay, tomorrow night. Make sure you rest up tomorrow morning, because I’m going to plan something amazing.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Boy, you sure are confident,” Keith says. One eyebrow is arched like he thinks Shiro might be full of shit. Well, Shiro will show him.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’ll see,” he says. “Tomorrow night. Be ready.”</p>
<p class="p1">“I’ll be ready,” Keith promises.</p>
<p class="p1">There’s no more time to talk about it as the alarm sounds throughout the station.</p>
<p class="p1">It’s time to get back to work.</p>
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